Gaming machines which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming machines, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
In such known gaming machines, the amount of the wager made on the base game by the player may vary. For instance, the gaming machine may enable the player to wager a minimum number of credits, such as one credit (e.g., one cent, nickel, dime, quarter or dollar) up to a maximum number of credits, such as five credits. This wager may be made by the player a single time or multiple times in a single play of the primary game. For instance, a slot gaming machine may have one or more paylines and the slot gaming machine may enable the player to make a wager on each payline in a single play of the primary game. Thus, it is known that a gaming machine, such as a slot gaming machine, may enable players to make wagers of substantially different amounts on each play of the primary or base game ranging, for example, from one credit up to 125 credits (e.g., five credits on each of 25 separate paylines). This is also true for other wagering games, such as video draw poker, where players can wager one or more credits on each hand and where multiple hands can be played simultaneously. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that different players play at substantially different wagering amounts or levels and at substantially different rates of play.
Secondary or bonus games are also known in gaming machines. The secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Secondary or bonus games are generally activated or triggered upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game. For instance, a bonus symbol occurring on the payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine may trigger the secondary or bonus game. When a secondary or bonus game is triggered, the gaming machines generally indicates this to the player through one or more visual and/or audio output devices, such as the reels, lights, speakers, video screens, etc. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming machines is the occurrence or triggering of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be).
In recent years, gaming has become a more social leisure activity. Gaming establishments often strive for ways to enable players to work together in gaming. Working together creates camaraderie among the players and provides an enhanced gaming experience. Certain secondary or bonus games include a group gaming aspect wherein a plurality of players participate in a group bonus game for one or more bonus awards. Accordingly, there is a continuing need to provide new bonus games which include a group gaming aspect, wherein a plurality of players playing at linked gaming machines participate in a group bonus game for one or more bonus awards.
In one known system, determinations of which players at which gaming devices become eligible to participate in which group bonus games is based on which players are classified as actively playing gaming machines in the gaming system. A player is often classified as actively playing a gaming machine based on that player's level of game play (e.g., the amount and/or frequency of that player's wagers placed). In one known group gaming system, a plurality of players at a plurality of linked gaming machines each play one or more games. As each player plays such games, the player's gaming machine accumulates credits in a credit pool for that player. Such accumulated credits are used to determine the player's probability of winning each of a plurality of awards within a group bonus game and a multiplier that the player utilizes during a plurality of free spin of the group bonus game. In operation of this group gaming system, if a bonus game triggering event occurs and a player is classified as actively playing a gaming machine (i.e., the player has placed a wager on a game in the last fifteen seconds), that player is eligible to participate in the triggered group bonus game.
In such gaming systems, one or more players keep a level of game play at the minimum amount required to remain classified as actively playing a gaming machine. When this occurs, participation in the group bonus game often does not correspond with each player's level of game play. In other words, this can skew the participation and subsequent award distribution in group bonus games to such players that keep their level of game play at the minimum amount required to remain active. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a gaming system with a group bonus game that solves such problems.